Conversations in a Street Side Diner
by Merridian
Summary: It all started as an uneventful Tuesday night, in a seemingly forgotten roadside diner on the outskirts of Tokyo3.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Nor do I posses the rights to The Velvet Underground's name.

**Author's Note:** The original idea for this started out as part of a one hour 'crapfic' oneshot, back while I was still writing _Soundless Music: Seconds' Clock_. Remnants of _that_ can be seen in the fourth chapter, INTERLUDE OF GAUF. The overall idea I wanted to express, however, escaped the final draft of what became chapter four, and only the techniques and general setting were included—and, seeing as how the whole story itself progressed in a far different direction, I'm kind of glad that the originally intended themes weren't present. They'd only have further convoluted the plot as it was.

So, after several hours of typing and brainstorming, I came up with this. It's totally unrelated to the original draft of chapter four, but I feel that the lighthearted writing style loaned itself well to the setting, even while the characters themselves preoccupy themselves with darker themes and ideas. There's a lot being said in many of the conversations (or half-conversations, as it happens) that I purposefully left _unsaid_, hopefully adding to the overall depth of the work itself.

Now, on with the featured presentation…

* * *

**Conversations in a Street Side Diner**

The diner looked like it was trapped in the American 1950's. Maybe that was a good thing. It represented the ideals and hopes of a deceptively simpler time, a melancholy of heartfelt reminiscence and comfort; the odd sense of familiarity.

And yet, at the same time, a decaying sense of the present's fleetingly bleak wellbeing.

The pale blue linoleum tiles had years of dirt caked in the grout, the windows were smeared with grime, and the torn upholstery in the booths squeaked when they were sat on.

There were only two customers tonight. That was about two more than the average, for a Tuesday night. A wet, dreary, dark, Tuesday night.

"You know this game is inherently flawed." Fuyutsuki scratched his neck as he stared down at the five inch by five inch square of paper napkin in front of him.

Gendo shrugged. "Then I'll let you start." He drew the lines.

"You and your scenarios." Fuyutsuki grabbed the pen from him and made his mark. "So how's Kihl doing?"

Gendo grunted in frustration and disgust. "The old man needs to die already. He's already tried to replace me on the committee—I think he's starting to get senile." He took the pen from his comrade.

"I'd expect nothing less." His idle gaze settled on the lights that zoomed by the window of the roadside diner, spattering water on the sidewalks of the dark, dreary, outside world. "Have you ever eaten here before?"

Gendo handed the pen back, and slid the napkin across the table. "No, never." He was silent as he observed Fuyutsuki's next move. "But I've read up on it a little. The… fish 'n chips are rumored to be especially good."

The older man put the pen on the napkin and slid it in a similar manner, presenting the next move to his opponent. "You've read up on it, eh? Somehow, I don't think this diner qualifies to be looked at by the Michelin Red Guide _or_ the Mobil Travel Guide."

"I wasn't referring to the Michelin Red or Mobil Travel Guides." Gendo picked up the pen and stared at the napkin for a few moments.

"Zagat?" Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Not Zagat, either." He bit his lip as he stared at the napkin.

"Oh." Fuyutsuki rolled his eyes as the realization hit him, and he turned his head street side. A couple pairs of headlights zoomed past, the sound of wet tires echoing through the thin panes of glass. "Ikari, Section 2 reports of where your son eats hardly qualifies as adequate dining recommendations."

The napkin tore a little. Gendo let a curse swear escape his lips as he handed both the napkin and the pen back to his former teacher. He refused to comment.

Fuyutsuki looked at his opponent's move. He allowed himself a chuckle. "I can't believe you fell for that," his amused tone portrayed his victory. He made his mark and drew a line through all three 'O's to further compound his point. "I win."

Gendo didn't let Fuyutsuki's victory faze him. He instead perched his chin on his gloved fist, and gazed out the window. More passing headlights. "The game is inherently flawed." He said.

The door swung open. The momentary sound of a soft drizzle echoed through the small diner. Fuyutsuki had to turn in the booth to see who the newcomer was.

"Well, well." A familiar voice greeted the two as a pair of slacks strolled over, accompanied by a button-down shirt and an unshaven face. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you two here?"

"Mister Ryoji." The end-stopped statement was uttered from the Commander. It was supposed to be a greeting.

"Eh—business, I believe." Fuyutsuki reached for the napkin, but Kaji was quicker.

"Mhm; ticktacktoe, eh? Unraveling the secrets of the universe, indeed."

Gendo grunted. Fuyutsuki returned his gaze toward the impenetrably dark street.

"Mind if I sit down?" Kaji motioned to a space next to Fuyutsuki.

"By all means." Fuyutsuki slid closer to the window. Gendo gazed at him oddly.

Silence reigned supreme. Fuyutsuki would later recall having the idle thought of the situation being rather awkward.

"So…" Kaji broke the silence with a grin, putting one elbow on the table, leaning forward slightly. "What's new, fellas?"

Gendo gazed at the spy, and said nothing.

Fuyutsuki shrugged, yawned, and resumed his observation of the dark, dreary, outside world.

Kaji frowned. "Fascinating." He remarked. "I had always wondered where Rei obtained her phenomenal social skills."

"Now you know." Gendo's utterance was delivered with a smirk.

"Have you ever eaten here before?" Kaji let the comment hang. Someone had to answer it, at some point.

The uptake was long in development. Fuyutsuki refused to tear his eyes off of the darkened, rainy expanse beyond the window. He spoke, but the words ran into the glass barrier. "No. Never."

Kaji hummed and nodded. "I did, once. It was years ago, though. I remember—" he chuckled, "—I remember that it was with Misato, back in college. Man, the days were so much brighter back then, eh?" Neither man made a sign of acknowledgement. Kaji continued reminiscing. "It was funny—we had this waitress, and she was… oh _man_, she was a sweet thing, too. She was straight out of high school, eighteen or so—and of course, I was only into my second year of college, hormonally charged, arrogant as anything—so I start hitting on this poor girl. She had a fine set of legs, though, I tell ya—those skirts they wear! Damn!" He laughed. Neither man made a sign of acknowledgement. "So anyway, this girl asked us what we wanted, and I said—I said 'Miss, I'll take anything you have to offer!' Well, she just blushed the big one, all the way down into her shirt, all red. Misato kicked me under the table real hard, though, so I sort of ruined it with my outburst of pain. But that was after she had already turned away, all lit up like a Christmas tree.

"But off she goes, and from that angle, I could tell she certainly ran a lot, her thighs were all muscular and built up—I bet she'da been wild in bed, you know? Oh man." Gendo blinked. His stare never left Kaji's eyes. Fuyutsuki kept his own thoughts to himself, and his eyes registered only the dreary world beyond the pane of glass.

Kaji continued: "And so here I am, a bruised or bruising shin from Misato's boot, and I'm still staring at the backside of this poor seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, and I lean over to rub that shin. It hurt—really. You've never gotten kicked by that woman. I have, and I can tell you that it really hurt." He sneaked a hand beneath the table to absently massage his shin, and sighed. "Yeah, those were the days. And then, there was this other time—man, this was way back—no, actually, I think it was the year before that—anyway, there was this other time when I came in and there was a homeless person—some beggar or something—and…" he trailed off.

Gendo continued to stare at him, bored. His expression hadn't changed. Fuyutsuki continued to feign interest in the darkness beyond the window.

Kaji mumbled off into silence. No one noticed. He chuckled absently. No one noticed that, either.

The door swung open, and the splat of rain echoed into the diner for a brief moment. Two men and a woman walked in, each in their early to mid twenties. Their casual dress included blue jeans and white t-shirts, respectively. They laughed as they walked, entirely immersed in conversation. They hardly noticed the trio in the booth next to the corner table.

If Fuyutsuki gave any outward sign of recognition, he did not show it. He did not even look away from the window. Gendo did not look at them.

Kaji did. More than that, he recognized them—the woman, at least.

"Say, that's Maya!" A grin played across his chin.

The wrinkles around Gendo's eyes became more pronounced as he squinted. "I'm sorry?"

Kaji nodded toward the group that had just sat down at the counter. "The woman, with the short hair. See her?" Gendo turned his head, and finally released Kaji from his piercing gaze.

"…Yes."

"You don't sound so confident. Don't you know your own employees?" Kaji's grin became a smirk.

Gendo returned his stare to Kaji's pupils. The smirk disappeared.

"Well," Kaji continued. "That one's Maya Ibuki. Real cute, met her a couple times in the break room, maybe once or twice outside of NERV at places like this. The one next to her is Shigeru Aoba—long hair, see him?—yeah, he apparently plays some sort of instrument—probably guitar, judging from just a quick glance." He paused for a moment as he looked at the remaining tech-out-of-uniform. "And that last guy… you know, I'm not really sure of his name. He hangs around Katsuragi a lot, which is pretty funny, but apart from that…" He trailed off, shrugging. "He's just some guy, kind of like the rest of us I guess."

"Hmm." Gendo nodded in understanding, but only barely. Kaji didn't think he even moved.

Kaji heaved a sigh. "Well then, if it's no difference to you guys—"

"It isn't." The Commander was quick to reestablish his blunt reputation.

Kaji continued anyway. "—I'm off to go join a more… _livelier_ crowd." He got up from the table and walked over to the techs, mumbling something under his breath. "…At least they know how to have fun."

Gendo could see his comrade's grin in the reflection of the glass window.

"He's lying." Fuyutsuki looked over at the reflection of his superior.

"How do you know?"

"This place was just built last year. There's no way he could have been here while he was still in college." Gendo's words were soft, but stoic and unmoving.

Fuyutsuki nodded. "I can see how that would put a damper on things." He shrugged. "Does it really matter? I'm sure his evaluations of his coworkers were accurate enough."

It was Gendo's turn to shrug. "I wouldn't know that."

"Of course." Kouzou frowned. "Neither would I." He scratched his neck as he continued staring out the window. "Ever stop to wonder if you're involved enough with this organization?"

Gendo's brows furrowed and his lips drooped into an ugly frown. "What do you mean?"

The ex-professor shrugged. "Not really sure." He faltered. "Well, I don't mean the organization's exact workings, obviously. I mean the people. Both of us are about as apathetic as a pair of stone pigeons."

Gendo shrugged mysteriously, but said nothing.

Fuyutsuki looked at him. "There are so many people in NERV and— of all of those employed—we only know each other by name. I can never remember that one guy's name, and I don't think I was ever properly introduced to the Major to begin with. And you still the doctor 'Doctor', even when you two are alone. The techs all look the same anyway, and the pilots… do you even know your son's first name?"

Gendo made a grunt of understanding. "True, but of all the people in the organization, it's probably because we're the most interesting to be around."

Fuyutsuki returned his gaze toward the dark exterior world. "That's a depressing thought."

Rain continued to fall.

"Your son's approaching." Fuyutsuki's comment echoed off of the glass. He continued to stare out towards the night. "He's with someone—a girl, I think."

Gendo blinked. "A girl?"

"Hmm, yes." His concerned hum voiced his idle pondering on Gendo's thoughts. "Brown hair tied back in pigtails, freckles. They're headed this way, it seems."

"Interesting." Gendo folded his hands over the bridge of his nose.

"Indeed." Fuyutsuki remained in place. "I think… I think there's someone following them. I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not, though." His gaze did not falter. "It doesn't look like it."

"Can you tell who it is?" The remark was accompanied by an odd stare.

"Not really—wait, there they go again, see, behind the lamp? I think—" Fuyutsuki stopped, and peered more intensely at the darkened planet. "Say, that looks like Rei."

Gendo diverted his gaze towards the lamp post his former teacher indicated. "So it does."

Fuyutsuki frowned. "I think she knows we're here."

"Do you?"

"She just looked straight at us."

"What about Shinji and the other girl?"

The trio-plus-one of NERV employees laughed, absorbed in their own conversations. Neither Gendo nor Fuyutsuki paid any attention to them.

"They're almost to the door. I'm surprised they haven't seen us yet."

"He never did pay attention to the details." His reply was dry and humorless.

Fuyutsuki smirked at that. "You're the one deciding where to eat based off of his Section Two reports."

The only reply was the registration of a small frown.

The door swung open. Raindrops echoed in. An umbrella closed. A girl giggled. A young man cursed in frustration; the umbrella was stuck.

"There they are." Fuyutsuki didn't even have to turn around. His comment was very quiet. The pair did not walk by the table, however. They sat just behind Fuyutsuki's seat.

"Rei is still outside." Gendo observed.

"She must be soaked to the bone by now. I wonder what she's doing." Fuyutsuki made a funny face as he stared at her. She did not stare back. Her gaze was transfixed on the couple in the seat just behind his.

"I'm not sure."

The off duty Sub Commander almost chuckled. "Maybe Rei's developed a voyeuristic streak."

"Maybe." Kouzou raised his eyebrows at Gendo, surprised by the frankness of his rebuttal.

They fell silent for a little bit. Both of them were trying to eavesdrop on the couple behind Fuyutsuki's bench.

"What did you want to eat, Shinji?" The voice was upbeat and happy, in an oddly disturbing way—or maybe Fuyutsuki just realized that he was around depressing people too much.

The reply wasn't as hesitant as the commanders had learned to take for granted. "Well, last time I ate here, I had the fish 'n chips. I've never learned how to make that—I know you deep fry the fish, but I never figured out what type of alcohol to use." If grins could make a sound, the sound resonated through the diner. It was accompanied by a small chuckle. "And I'm sure it isn't Yebisu."

The girl giggled again. She was obviously on the giddy side. "You're so funny, Shinji."

Fuyutsuki had to restrain a laugh. Gendo's eyebrows disappeared into his bangs. The other NERV employees burst into laughter because of a totally unrelated subject.

"Your son's quite the charmer, Ikari."

"Hmm, so I hear."

Both of them glanced out the window, and realized that Rei could not be found behind the light post.

"So, how's school going for you?" Shinji's voice floated over the wall between booth cushions.

"Oh, not bad." Her voice was still upbeat, but the giddiness faded a little. "You know how it is. The grades are easy to maintain and all, but the finals kind of worry me a little."

"Why? You're always so good at that stuff."

"Well… you know. With all my other responsibilities, it gets a little hard to study—and not to mention all of my chores at home, since my dad is around less and less." The falter made it sound like she suddenly realized who she was talking to. "Oh god, Shinji. I didn't mean to sound as if—"

"No, no. It's fine. You're the Class Rep—I know that you've probably got as much time drained away from your schedule as I do." He chuckled. It was a vaguely curious sound. "But yes, I know what you mean."

Fuyutsuki broke the eavesdropping silence with a side remark to Gendo. "Rei's decided to come in. She just stepped out of some bushes—I had wondered where she'd gotten to."

The door opened. No one save the commanders noticed. The NERV techies spilled a drink on the counter and laughed. One of them got up and returned with a handful of napkins. The young couple was too immersed in themselves to notice.

The newcomer stayed in front of the door, dripping wet. Her gaze wondered around the room, before settling on a solitary stool at the far end of the counter. She strode towards it. Her red irises flickered over Gendo and Fuyutsuki as she passed, but she said nothing.

The self-absorbed young couple did not seem to notice her. They continued to delve into topics regarding school and household activities.

"Ah, it seems this place is quite a hot spot, tonight." Fuyutsuki returned his gaze toward the world on the other side of the glass. "Two more classmates of Shinji's, I assume."

Gendo followed his gaze. "Yes, I think I recognize them."

Kouzou looked at him oddly. "You actually know who your son spends time with?"

Gendo blinked at the ex-professor, and diverted his gaze. "I was just trying to make conversation. I haven't the faintest idea of who those kids are."

Fuyutsuki almost chuckled.

"How'd you get Asuka off your back to go on this little… outing?" Conversation from behind him drifted overhead. In their own defense, the two were conversing loud enough that the commanders couldn't _help_ but overhear.

…right?

Shinji's voice picked up. "I'd ask the same thing of you. You know her better than I ever will." It sounded relatively melancholy.

"I never really told her. I knew she'd just disagree and shout and make a big scene out of nothing at all—you know how she is."

"Yeah… I know." A sigh. "Too bad she has to be like that, though. I mean, she could really be a wonderful person to be around if she wasn't so… mad all the time."

Another giddy giggle. "You're so deep, Shinji."

Gendo rolled his eyes. Fuyutsuki chuckled. "Infatuated type, isn't she?" He kept his voice down, but high enough for Gendo to hear him.

The door opened and closed again, heralding the two newcomers. One of them spoke with an odd accent, but neither walked past the table. They apparently sat down in the booth next to the door.

"What is it?" Shinji's alarmed voice wafted overhead.

"Oh—nothing. It's just… I thought I heard Suzaharra's voice for a moment." It almost sounded disappointed.

"Toji? No way." Gendo watched the back of Shinji's head poke above the booth, and take a quick look around. It ducked back under in a second or two. "Nah, he probably doesn't even know where this place is—you remember how long it took to get here."

She giggled _again_. "Yeah, you're probably right. Besides, I wouldn't think this is his kind of place anyway."

"You like him don't you?" It didn't _sound _confrontational.

"What?" Obviously flustered. "No—it's not like that. I mean… well, it used to be. I sort of did back in junior high I guess. I mean… you know how it is. But I don't know."

"You're blushing."

"Stop!"

Fuyutsuki shook his head, grinning like a madman. "Quite the charmer, indeed." He couldn't restrain himself. "You should be proud."

Gendo visibly winced.

Rei continued staring off into space, from where she sat at the counter. If Fuyutsuki didn't know better, he'd swear that the expression she wore was one of mildly disquieted malcontent. Maybe she always looked that way.

"Ah, it seems the final pilot has arrived." Gendo's ambivalence portrayed his awareness to the increasingly unlikely string of coincidences.

Fuyutsuki's eyes darted back towards the rainy exterior. Sure enough, the volatile redhead stalked up the sidewalk and entered, the door swinging open and closed. She said nothing, and sat down on the stool directly in front of the door. No one else—save probably Rei—even noticed her.

"That's all they are to you? Pilots?" Fuyutsuki gazed at the bearded man.

He shrugged his response. "What else could they be?"

Kouzou frowned. "I suppose you're right." He sighed. "They're all completely insane—it's a wonder they've still got all of their cognitive capabilities. Most of that is due in no small part to us, of course."

"No one else can suffice."

"No one else can suffice." He repeated the phrase to himself, melancholy. "Too bad."

Gendo looked at him. "Would _you_ want to pilot one of those things?"

He winced. "I guess it really is one of those cases where it's better them than us." He let out a humorless chuckle. "We're so unabashedly selfish."

Gendo's smirk made itself known. "Aren't we all?"

The dangling rhetoric ended the conversation. They immersed themselves in silence, letting the reasonably quiet din of the surrounding conversations wash over them.

"—Jus' da odder day—"

"—Oy, waitress!—"

"—So I said to her—"

"—Seriously, the thing was—"

"—Aw, that's sad, Shinji—"

"—THAT'S HILARIOUS!"

Fuyutsuki spoke: "It's funny."

"What is?" Gendo made eye contact, but it wasn't reciprocated.

"All of these people around each other," he started, "yet none of them seem to be aware of each other."

Gendo nodded. "Thus the reason for Instrumentality."

Fuyutsuki resisted the urge to burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Now _that's_ comedy." It came off as colder than he had anticipated.

The Commander just raised his eyebrows in a dismissive gesture. "Or tragedy."

"Sadly enough, you're right." The agreement was breathed into the window. He noticed two more figures sauntering up the sidewalk. "This place is getting awfully crowded. But at least it looks like we won't be missing anyone who might be the life of the party."

"The Doctor and the Major." Gendo's observation was staid. He didn't even look up as the waitress finally approached their table.

There are brief moments in peoples' lives when a sudden realization is triggered by a seemingly harmless string of words. These sudden realizations usually concern themselves with, oddly enough, the fact that there really _are_ other people in one's immediate vicinity, and that those other people are just as deserving of one's attention as anyone else. The epiphany is usually delivered with an emotion something akin to shock and surprise.

This was one of those brief moments. At the exact utterance of the key phrase, everyone in the diner suddenly became aware.

This was the phrase: "Hey hon. Sorry 'bout the wait. What can I do ya for?"

The door opened.

Rain echoed in.

The door closed.

All conversation stopped. No one moved.

It didn't last, though.

"K-Kaji?!"

"Katsuragi!"

"Miss Katsuragi—"

"Maya?"

"Ritsuko—"

"Doctor Akagi—"

"Shinji—"

"A-Asuka—"

"Misato—"

"Ikari."

"Ayanami?"

"Class Rep!"

"Kensuke—"

"Shin-man!"

"Suzaharra?"

"Horaki?"

"Major—"

"Makoto?"

"Th' red devil!"

"Morons—"

"Asuka?!"

"Hikari?—"

It was at about that point that Section Two decided to arrive, barreling through the doors, pistols drawn, sunglasses in place, dramatic kneeling poses galore. "What is the status of the emergency?" They barked the statement in unison.

The gap of silence that ensued stretched on for an eternity.

Fuyutsuki recovered first.

"I do not believe that this was part of the scenario."

And Gendo buried his face in his hands. "Ma'am," he addressed the waitress at last, his words muffled by the gloves on his hands. "I was going to have some fish 'n chips, but…" he let out a distraught sound that resembled a sigh.

"…Coffee will suffice."

---

A pair of headlights flashed by the window. It was still raining. There was no one left in the diner—apparently, it had gotten awkward after they realized that all of their acquaintances decided to meet there coincidentally.

Gendo Ikari sipped his coffee as he did the crossword puzzle. He was stuck on number eight across. Something about an obscure band name.

"Underground," Fuyutsuki offered, reading the puzzle upside down.

"What?"

"Underground. 'The second word of a popular psychedelic band that had at one time been managed by Andy Warhol.'" He quoted the passage. "Velvet Underground."

Gendo's gaze was level. "I thought it was 'The Velvet Underground', in which case the second word of the name would be 'Velvet', rather than 'Underground'."

"I don't know of any other groups who collaborated with Andy Warhol, though." Fuyutsuki shrugged. "Besides, 'Velvet' doesn't fit. It's too short, I think."

Gendo made a noise of rough agreement, and added as a side note, "I wonder when definitive articles stopped being actual words."

Fuyutsuki shrugged again, and meddled with a napkin in his hands. The remnants of their previous strategy were still present.

Gendo slid the crossword aside and looked at the napkin, bored.

"Best two out of three?"


End file.
